Birmingham City boss Gary Rowett has explained his thinking behind the decision to allow Wes Thomas and Nick Townsend to depart St Andrew’s on deadline day.

Thomas joined Swindon Town on loan until January while young goalkeeper Townsend converted his loan switch at Barnsley into a permanent stay.

“I always knew with the likes of Wes, Lee Novak, [and] David Edgar what the likely scenario would be,” said Rowett.

“They came to see me last season, they said they weren’t happy not playing. That was fine.

“I just said keep working hard for me, keep working hard for the club.

Lee Novak and Wes Thomas

“But I knew this season they would always be desperate to get away.

“And I think when you have a player who really, really wants to go and play regular football and you know you cannot guarantee them that, there comes a point where you have to move on and get someone in who is pushing for the cause.

Blues’ summer additions meant that playing time would be at a further premium for 28-year-old Thomas, who hasn’t featured in any of the club’s opening four Championship fixtures – even from the bench.

The former Rotherham United striker - who arrived at St Andrew’s in June 2014 after a loan spell the year before - scored both goals and played 90 minutes as Blues beat Gillingham in the Capital One Cup last month but was deemed surplus to requirements by Rowett.

Wes Thomas scores Blues' second goal against Gillingham

The Blues manager said: “Bringing Nicolai Brock-Madsen in, who is desperate to do well and will work his socks off, Maikel Kieftenbeld the same, has moved us on another level.

“Unfortunately, part of that is always one or two players going out because the last thing I want is an unhappy player in the camp.

“And I think where we need to, we can improve in that area, if we see fit.

“But, at the minute, we play one striker, we can have two up there, we have got lots of players to play around it, we have not struggled for goals yet.”

Stopper Townsend, 20, also left Birmingham on deadline day, converting a youth loan into a permanent transfer at Barnsley.

Nick Townsend

Townsend failed to make a senior appearance for Blues and found himself down the pecking order as Rowett recruited two goalkeepers ahead of the new season.

Both Tomasz Kuszczak and Adam Legzdins signed on free transfers and the duo have shared duty between the sticks, with the more experienced Kuszczak preferred in league matches.

“In the case of Nick, we had to sit down and say he needs games. He was in a position where unless he was number two at the club, he needed to go out and get games to develop.

“Again, that’s just human nature, like Wes and the others. Nick’s been here a while, champing at the bit, desperate to play.

Birmingham City manager Gary Rowett arrives at the ground

“I felt it was a very good deal for the club,” added Rowett.

The Blues boss is chasing a central defender, but with no arrivals on deadline day, is likely to utilise the loan market.

He had previously stated: “If we don’t make a signing before the window shuts I’m not going to worry too much with the window opening a week later for loans. And that’s probably more the route we would go down.”